11/05/24
October 20, 2010
Football Team Attacks Spectators in Ontario: Near the end of an amateur Ontario Football Conference game between the Hamilton Hurricanes and St. Leonard Cougars last weekend, a large group of Cougars players climbed into the stands and began assaulting fans, a brawl filmed by a local cable channel. One fan, the father of a Hurricanes player, was knocked unconscious and is hospitalized with a severe concussion. "I’ve been involved in football for 17 years and that was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen in my life," said his wife Cathy Brady. St. Leonard coach Jeff Rached said fans had been throwing bottles and insulting players. "You can’t have people pulling that s*** back there and have nothing happen," he said. "These aren’t professional players that realize, 'Oh, if I do something, they can sue me for millions.'"
That was a vicious brawl.
No charges have been laid as a result of the brawl because no one has come forward with a formal complaint, Hamilton police said earlier this week.
I can't understand why there needs to be a formal complaint by the people involved. Why does striking a person with a milk crate, knocking someone unconscious, and stomping on people require a "formal complaint" before charges can be laid?
posted by grum@work at 12:53 PM on October 20, 2010
If I was going to assault people, I don't think I'd do it with a number on my back that made me readily identifiable at a distance.
posted by rcade at 12:54 PM on October 20, 2010
That's why I don't run marathons.
posted by yerfatma at 01:47 PM on October 20, 2010
If there coach had that attitude, no wonder it happened. That didn't look like retaliation for bottle-throwing to me. That just looked like players roaming the stands looking for someone to gang up on.
posted by bperk at 02:21 PM on October 20, 2010
The players that were in the stands should not ever play again if they participated in the brawl. Some were trying to make peace. I didn't see any coach or team reps trying to stop it. They should be held accountable too! Shouldn't need a complaint -every picture tells a story, & every video allows you to slow it down & identify!
posted by directpressure at 03:02 PM on October 20, 2010
I do love seeing #40 hit a guy that is currently being beat up by other players with a milk crate. His coach ought to cut his ass immediately. If you're not tough enough to take on a fan that is already getting the crap beat out of him without using a weapon, then you're not tough enough for my team.
posted by dviking at 03:04 PM on October 20, 2010
Seems St.Leonard is reinforcing it's support of the players conduct by removing it's roster from the team website.
A whole lot more than just the players actions need to be in question here.
posted by cixelsyd at 03:56 PM on October 20, 2010
A note posted on the St.Leonard website today (direct French to English translation):
* The team of Hamilton did not respect a regulation of the league of the OFC while leaving spectators behind the bench of the team visitor;
* During the joust, the trainers of the Cougars asked the referee in boss, to the 2E quarter, to intervene adequately to stop altercations (verbal and launched objects towards the bench) with the spectators. Nevertheless no concrete action was executed by the referee in boss, so that the position degenerated at the end of the party;
* Finally, the President of the Hurricanes, Mike Samuels, judged good to intervene, despite the insisting request of a member of the organization of the Cougars during the party.
Having coached nationally and have been subject to many hostile environments, both coaches and players at this level realize that unfortunately hostility is the way some fans chose to support their teams. I would NEVER condone or attempt to justify any contact, verbal or otherwise, from a player directed at a fan.
I would suggest a more appropriate response is a sincere apology and a commitment to severly punish all involved.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:30 AM on October 21, 2010
I would suggest a more appropriate response is a sincere apology and a commitment to severly punish all involved.
I don't know. I'm sure the eight year old's "He started it" approach was well thought out and signed off by the legal department. Holy shit. Unless they were standing back there shooting blow darts or throwing knives, that reaction was grossly disproportionate to any fan misconduct, and every one of those men should be punished by the team, the league, and the province.
posted by tahoemoj at 11:38 AM on October 21, 2010
Wow, that's phenomenally ugly. I guess since it's an amateur game with a small crowd, there aren't many stewards or security personnel to break it up. A whole lot went wrong there, and that video will certainly be shown a few times in court.